Courses and Competitions

Depending on their Corps, cadets have a number of courses available to them througout their NZCF careers. These inlude both leadership (promotion) courses and specific skill training courses. Units also participate in regional and national skills competitions or regattas.

Junior Non-Commissioned Officer Course (JNCO CSE)

This is the first promotion course that a Cadet must successfully complete in order to be considered for promotion to a Junior NCO Rank. In order to attend the course the Cadet must have completed the first year of the Training Syllabus.

On the course the Cadet will participate in some classroom lessons but the bulk of the course is practical assessments of their ability to handle a squad of Cadets, Drill Instruction, Leadership Skills and Oral Presentations.

Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Course (SNCO CSE)

Once a Junior NCO has proved themselves in their Unit as a competent leader they can be considered for further advancement. To do this they must have qualified on a Junior Non-Commissioned Officers Course and completed the second year of the Training Syllabus and then they can attend the Senior NCO promotion course.

On the course the Junior NCO will participate in some classroom lessons but the bulk of the course is practical assessments of their ability to handle two or more squads of Cadets, Drill Instruction, Lead Leaders Leadership Skills and Oral Presentations.

Cadet Coxswain Course

For the Sea Cadet Corps Cadets, there is the Cadet Coxswain’s course. To be eligible to attend this course a Cadet must have successfully completed the the JNCO course; have completed Yachting New Zealand’s (YNZ) Learn to Sail 1 and 2, be Qualified on the Royal New Zealand Coast Guard Day Skippers Module, be medically fit and capable of completing the training and have logged six (6) hours experience in all of the following crew positions:

National Gliding

The National Gliding activity is available to Air Training Corps Cadets and Under Officers, who are a minimum of 15 years of age at the start of the course, have completed the second-year of the Training Syllabus, meet the medical requirements and are able to meet any course flying fees where applicable.

National Aviation Course – Navigation

The National Aviation Course – Navigation is available to Air Training Corps Cadets and Under officers, who are a minimum of 15 years of age at the start of the course, have completed the second-year Training Syllabus, meet the medical requirements and are able to meet any course flying fees where applicable.

National Aviation Course – Power

The National Aviation Course – Power is available to Air Training Corps Cadets and Under officers, who are a minimum of 16 years of age at the start of the course and under 20 years of age at the completion of the course, have completed the second-year Training Syllabus, show a genuine interest in pursuing aviation, meet the medical requirements and are able to meet any course flying fees where applicable.

Cadets and Scouts - what's the difference?

Firstly, Scouts (and its sub-groups such as Cubs and Rangers) covers a different age group. Our focus is soley on teenagers between 13 and 18 years of age, and our alignment with New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is unique. This gives us the opportunity to make the most of NZDF experience in education and training techniques, as well as applying the awesome life skills that training leads to.

While both Cadets and Scouts learn some outdoor skills and teamwork, NZCF adds to the sylabus with skills like drill, dress and bearing and self-discipline with a more military style.

If you've been a Scout and you want to change gears and try something new, head over to our unit finder to discover your nearest unit, or check out more information about the three corps to decide which one you are best suited to.

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